Year 1 independence

[catkind]

This isn't right is it? DS hasn't had a reading book in a week now. Apparently they're supposed to change them themselves when they want to, but no-one told us that. DS didn't have a clue when or where he's supposed to change it.

And after DH talking to the teacher and finding this out yesterday they still didn't manage to get him sorted with a book today.

I know they've probably told him he can change his book, but he clearly either didn't hear or didn't understand or didn't remember in a busy school day. I'd expect someone to notice DS hasn't had one and prompt him. Just saying, right, does anyone want to change their reading books now would be enough to make him remember.

Obviously ideally you'd want them to do stuff independently, but they're not used to that. Is my DS the only 5 yr old who'll need showing what to do a couple of times before he does it independently? He hasn't been shown even once because the only book he had so far he got at the library with the TA as they used to do last year.

I agree, I think it's far too much to expect a 5 yr old to do on their own initiative. DS is also 5 and in yr1. He chooses his own book but he is guided to do so by teacher/TA when they check the diary (I have to sign if he's ready to change it).

I worked in a school that did this but usually the mums would come in and help the children pick one in the morning. The books weren't part of a graded scheme and I didn't really agree with it but still.

I think if it were my child I would be saying loudly at pick up time, 'Have you changed your reading book? No? Go and do it now then.' Then if the teacher said he couldn't go back in to do it I would ask her outright to ensure it was done the next day. Generally if you make a polite nuisance of yourself teachers will remember and try to go along with your requests for an easy life!

Parents not allowed in the building here.

That's pretty much exactly what I did today 3cats . Teacher was still saying DS had to remind her to show him not she would remind him tomorrow. I've put a note in his bag too, so hopefully the lovely TA will read it and sort him out if the teacher doesn't. But why make it so hard?

Just feels like there's no-one looking out for him, he's only 5 and a young 5 too.

I can't believe they'd let him back into the classroom for a forgotten jumper but not for a forgotten reading book! Perhaps we should just pretend he's forgotten his jumper next time.

Gosh.

I think it is too young too.

In the yr1 class I have been in, the books are changed by the TA weekly.

Once a kid gets into yr3, then a child is expected to change their reading book themselves.

Our school is big on independence... but they change the reading books every day for them. If the staff don't choose it, how will it be the right level? All the Y1s are on different levels- they can hardly put 12 different boxes out and say right you 2 choose from that box, you 2 from that one, etc.

Year 1 children are very capable of doing this, they just need lots of reminding at this stage. Outside my classroom there are bookshelves which have each colour band in them. They are clearly labelled with coloured stickers as are each book. Children aren't daft. They know their colour (as do I) and they change them first thing when they come in. Myself and the TA are on hand to remind them or guide them to the correct books.

I teach year 6 and they have the responsibility of changing their book, however I keep a record of who changes it and anyone who doesn't change it regularly gets nagged by me!!

Success! Teacher reminded him and he got a book. Apparently the TA gave him a box to choose from, so not sure how that works with them doing it themselves. He is rather confused about what level he's on (come to that so am I) so no I don't think he'd know which box to choose on his own yet.

As pea84 - baskets of colour coded books outside the classroom. For the first 2 1/2 weeks the TA took the year 1s out to help them change their book, now they know how to do it we're encouraging them to change it themselves like the year 2s do. I work on the basis that I don't want to read a book I haven't chosen for myself, so why should I expect a 5 year old to?

BUT - I have told all the parents (who turned up to the meeting) that this is the system and that they are very welcome to come into school at the end of the day if their child hasn't changed their book. Also, we are already working out who needs to be reminded individually. And if they are at work so they can't come in I've encouraged them to email me via the office.

The school I've just started working in his this system. It don't think it's the best system, by any means, but I have to toe the party-line for the time being. ;)

That being said, I do remind the children to go and change their books if they need to, but by the same token, I am only one person. There are 29 kids in my class and there simply isn't the time to ask every child if they need to change their book, never mind supervising them while they do so.

If I'm supervising a child's book change, and my TA is dealing with a crying child at the door, what are the other 27 doing?

It really makes my life a lot easier if parents can remind children when they drop off to go and change their books, or even send them back at the end of the day if necessary.

Our y1 and y2 children all change their own books. They know their book band colour and can choose a book from the box any time they wish.
Our parents can come into school and into the classroom every day so some parents do it for them, but most do it themselves.

As teaching staff we don't do this for them, and although we do read with children we use other books to do this. We do remind children to change their books if they wish to each time we do guided reading but we don't enforce it.

Ours have reading diaries which teaching staff complete during guided reading sessions and parents complete at home. It is encouraged, but it is not enforced.

Ours do their own. There are 8 boxes of books at the moment, not 12 Nerfherder, but the same principle applies. Each child knows which box is theirs. It has been built into their morning routine (with parental support) from week 3 of YR. No different to hanging up their coat or ticking off their name on the whiteboard register.

Tbh I am still helping DS to remember more than I should, and we have a lot of work to do with him to remember to bring his coat and water bottle home. But some parents are dropping them at the door these days. A relaxed attitude to whether the book gets changed every day helps! If we manage 3 a week I count that as a success.

My daughter in in yr1 and has two books in her book bag at all times & as soon as they are both read at home, they are changed. We are reading about 6 new books a week. Happy with her progress. If she had to change her book her self, we would never get a new book.

I am having problems with just this" we have gone from the TA going through the book bags every day in Reception, so new book as soon as you have read the book to this year, he has to put his book and reading diary in a special tray, which he just can't remember to do.
I have been in to go through it with him twice, but the teacher also doesn't get that he is the youngest in the class and just doesn't have the independence for this yet!

I'm sure he will be able to do it, once it's built into the routine. But they need to build up the routine for him as they won't let us in the gates to help. Now we even know he's supposed to do it we can remind him too. It would make sense if it's a first thing in the morning job but no-one's bothered to tell us that and if they told DS he can't remember.

Surely the aim should be to encourage and foster learning at home?

Independence should be encouraged by other means as reading is so important.

Therefore expecting your ds to remember is a silly idea IMO.

We currently have 9 boxes: red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, turquoise, gold, white/lime

Every child in the class know what colour they are

Well apparently is silly in his case iggly as he didn't! We read home books instead of course, but trawling the bottom of the shelves to find things at an appropriate level now after he read everything he could get his hands on over the summer.

Forgive me erin99, but my Y1 child is on Ruby band (14- well this is MN!) so I assume there will be classmates on every band up to there... how many schools have room inside or outside each classroom for 12, 13, 14 boxes?

Not sure Iggy. It might just be that you and I are used to different things, but our school is v much into children developing a love of books, rather than pushing them through the levels, and valuing children being 'independent enquirers'. My 7yo wanted to find out about Romeo and Juliet yesterday so she had a look on youtube (!), but felt she didn't really understand what she found. So a breaktime she went to the school library and her friend helped her find a book about it, which she read through lunchtime with her friend. At bedtime she recounted the whole story to me in great detail. Of course it's impossible to say, but maybe having spent 3 years at infant school choosing her own books, following her own interests and taking that bit of responsibility for her learning, rather than just being given books to read, has played a small part towards that. And she still learned to read well, even without having her book changed for her every single day.

I think at level 14 your child is likely to be a good few levels ahead of the rest. Unless it's a selective school or they push them very fast through the levels. I know a couple of Y1 children who are way ahead of their respective classes and they're reading level 10ish last I noticed.

Sorry that was to Nerf, x-post.

Well- he may be a good reader, but I doubt he'd remember to change his own reading book each day!

They do get to choose their own library books, but the whole class go up there en masse once a week.

He has been better at remembering his clothes this year though Always a bonus!

Nerfherder where do you think the books live if the TA is changing them - in some separate dimension? I doubt you have 14 bands in use, but if you are running out of space you just put some mixed boxes in for the outliers. Red and pink are in a mixed box in our classroom at the moment, and DC seem to be coping. And red and pink are probably the hardest of all the neighbouring colours to tell from each other. I'm sure your DD could pick ruby from a mixed box of ruby, topaz and copper.